Reserving seats on Shinkansen

[ifjames]

Hi : I originally posted this in Amos' excellent Rail Travel sticky, but it may have gone unnoticed: can anyone give us some advice please???

how necessary is it to Reserve seats on the Tokyo-Kyoto route, and Narita Express? We will be going from Tokyo to Osaka around 1pmish on a Tuesday, then back from Kyoto to Tokyo, again around 1pmish on a Saturday: this is to connect with Narita express as we fly home that night. I had thought it would be wise to Reserve the Kyoto-tokyo-Narita Express trip as we don't want to miss our flight(!) but don't really want to be "locked in" to the Tokyo-Osaka time: depends on what we get done/seen in Tokyo before heading off.
Many thanks!!

Also, how far ahead to you have to book, and is it easy to do: we will have an ordinary JR Pass which will run out the day we leave.

 

[Glenski]

If you aren't traveling during Obon , Golden Week, or New Year, you should be ok just going to the shinkansen counter before the departure. Since you have to catch a flight, I can't really understand your hesitancy to lock yourself into a certain train, though. Why not do it for the feeling of security it gives you that you won't miss that flight? It'll also help you to plan your day, not stifle it, in your last day's sightseeing.

 

[pugtm]

quick question me and my Japanese friend at school were arguing about. are the trains in japan maglev or not?

 

[Ewok85]

I never reserve the Shinkansen, and with the exception of one long weekend I've always been able to get a seat in the non-reserved section.

quick question me and my Japanese friend at school were arguing about. are the trains in japan maglev or not?

No.

 

[ifjames]

Since you have to catch a flight, I can't really understand your hesitancy to lock yourself into a certain train, though.


Thanks for advice: no, we DO want to lock in the trains before the flight: its the trip OUT of Tokyo I was concerned about not wanting to be locked into: DEFINITELY don't want to miss the flight, don't worry!!!

Also, can we book Narita express tickets in Kyoto??

 

[nice gaijin]

If you're going from Tokyo station, you have a good chance of getting a seat on the non-reserved car if you get to the platform early (since it's the terminal station for that line). Going the other way, reserving a seat is the safest bet because you'll be in the middle of the line, but how crowded the car will be depends on the time of day. The difference in price is only about 1000 or 1500 yen, so it's not a huge difference if you're concerned about getting a seat.

Buying a non-reserve ticket can be done at the station right before you go onto the platform. Same with reserve tickets, but it'll depend on availability, so if you're on a tight schedule, I'd reserve a seat at least a day in advance.

 

[Glenski]

Since you have to catch a flight, I can't really understand your hesitancy to lock yourself into a certain train, though.
Thanks for advice: no, we DO want to lock in the trains before the flight: its the trip OUT of Tokyo I was concerned about not wanting to be locked into: DEFINITELY don't want to miss the flight, don't worry!!!
Also, can we book Narita express tickets in Kyoto??

I don't travel that much, even though I live in Japan. The Lonely Planet web site has a good discussion forum called the Thorn Tree. I advise going there to get travel-related info. Someone called grogblossom and JapanTraveller offer very good advice, among others.

 

[ifjames]

Thanks everyone: now I feel set
Felicity

 

[Numark]

I had a 21 day Japan Rail pass and used it to ride the shinkansen about 9-10 times between tokyo, kyoto, osaka, etc. and never made reservations beforehand, just went up and got a ticket. Longest I ever had to wait for an open train was about 2 hours.

 

[ArmandV]

You will find more answers here:

Reserving Seats